Railway-switch.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

C. A. BISBEE.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLwATIoN FILED AUG. 11, 1904.

, UWE/WOR.

B y :/ee

/ ATTORNEY.

No. 788,6Q9.

UNITED STATES atented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OEEICE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,699, dated May 2, 1905.

` Application filed August 11, 1904. serial No. 220,315.-

To all whom t may concern,.- I

Be it known that I, CHAUNcnY A. BIsBEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of Which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. l

My invention relates to that class of railway-switches which are actuated by the progressive movement of a car.

The object of the invention is to provide inexpensive and reliable mechanism of this char-V taining parts of the mechanism being re-l moved. Figs. 2and 3 are respectively crosssections taken on lines a: and y 1/ of Fig. 1 y

and being drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views.

In the drawings the reference-numeral 2 designates the rails of the main-line track, 3 the rails of the turnout or branch track, and 4 the usual switch-tongue, which is pivotally connected at 5 to the rail-seat plate 6, as is customary. Connected to the tongue by a reach-rod 7, disposed transversely of the track, is a longitudinally-extending llever 8, which is fulcrumed at 8' to a suitable bearing secured to a track-tie or other proper support. The rear end of this lever carries a roller 9, which projects upwardly within an elliptic groove 1() in the under side of a wheel 11, and when the latter is rotated, as will Vbe presently described, a swerving movement is imparted to the lever to throw the switch open or shut, as required. The wheel is provided at its under side with an annular downwardly-projecting iange 11, which fits in a corresponding socket 12 of the casing 13. The wheel is also provided with an annular iiange 11 upon its upper surface, (see Fig. 3,) which extends into segmental pendent flanges 14 of a pawl-lever 15 and forms a pivotal bearing therefor. Pawls 16 are hinged to this lever in proximity to its ends and are adapted to engage thc wheel by ratchet-teeth 17, formed or provided upon the latter when the lever is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, but can return unobstructedly in the opposite direction. lThis last-mentioned or return motion is accomplished by the action of a coilspring 18, located within a central recess 19 of the/'wheel and having its extremities inserted in apertures provided in the lever 15 and casing 13,-as plainly shown in Fig. 3. Slidably connected to the lever 15, as by housings 15, is a bar 20, which extends through a slot 13 of the casing and into an open-top shallow trough 21. Rotatably secured by a pin 22 to the bar 2O is a roller 23, which extends downwardly into a channel or guideway 13 of the casing and acts/to regulate the outward and inward sliding movement of bar 20. This bar is bent adjacent to the roller 23 in order that When the bar is in its normal position (indicated by full lines in Fig. l) the end 20 thereof will protrude transversely across the said trough and in position to be engaged by the actuating-shoe 24, carried by acar, and which is so mounted asto be capable of being lowered to the position shown when the switch is to be opened or closed. Means for automatically locking the wheel 11 to a set position is included in the invention and comprises a springbar 25, secured at one end to the bottom and interiorly of the casing. Thence it extends outside the same through an aperture 26 and upwardly through an aperture 27 in the bottom of trough 21 somewhat in advance of the normal position of the bar end 20. The protruding end 25' of the spring is made with a sloping top face, so that it will be depressed by the said actuating-shoe when the latter passes thereover. The spring-bar engages the Wheel 11 by providing therein notches 28, located to register with the bar when the prolate axis of theaforesaid elliptic groove of this wheel is parallel with and also at right angles to the track-that is to say, when the switch is thrown open or when it is closed IOO When the car approaches a switch which is improperly set, the motorman depresses the shoe, which as it advances first forces down the spring-bar end 25 and releases the wheel, so as to be capable of being rotated by engagement with the revolving pawls 16 after the bar 2O is impinged by the onwardly-moving shoe. The bar 2O continues to move with the shoe until pushed out of its path when it (the bar) under theconstruction shown has traveled ninety degrees or a triie more, due to the resilient action of a spring-distended leaf 24', hingedto the side of the shoe for the purpose of insuring a full quarter-turn of the bar 20, that the next succeeding notch 28 will be certain of engagement with the lock-bar. The wheel being locked coincidently locks the switch-tongue, while the pawl-lever is carried back to its normal position by the action of spring 18 immediately the bar 20, which revolubly is attached thereto, is disengaged from the traveling shoe. In practice the working parts are preferably placed beneath the surface of the ground, so as not to interfere with the street traliic in any manner. rIhe casing is provided with a removable cover 30, and all of the underground operative parts may advantageously be guarded by inclosing walls, such as 3l. To afford greater security, or rather to prevent the accidental dislocation of the wheel-rotating devices or attachments, a bolt 32 may be extended through the axis of the wheel to connect the bar 2O with the casing, the former being slotted to5 permit its aforesaid reciprocating action. n

The operation and construction of the invention are extremely simple and well adapted for the purposes for which intended. I wish it to be understood, however, that I do not wish to limit myself to the specific construction shown, as changes can obviously be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing its advantages.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l.' In a railway-switch, the combination with a track having a tongue, of a wheel provided with a cam-groove therein, mechanism connecting the wheel within the said groove with the tongue whereby the latter is alternately moved to open and closed positions relatively of the main track at each one-fourth turn of the wheel, a lever fulcrumed axially of the Said wheel, means to engage the wheel with the said lever when the latter is turned in one direction only, means to impart such engaging movement to said lever by the progressive movement of devices carried on a car, and means to return said lever back to its first position independently of said wheel.

2. Inarailway-switch,thecombination with a track having a movable tongue of a rotatable cam-wheel provided with ratchet-teeth, connections between the wheel and the tongue, a lever fulcrumed axially of said wheel, means to automatically engage the said lever when turned in one direction and be in operative position when turned in the opposite direction, a bar slidingly connected to the said lever and normally projecting within the path of an impinging device carried by the car, means to slide the said bar out of engagement with said impinging device, and means to move the bar back in position giving a quarter of a turn to the wheel to actuate the switch mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination with a tongue, acam-Wheel and mechanical connections between the tongue and wheel, of means for automatically locking said devices for locking the Wheel at each one-fourth rotation thereof, and means carried by a car for disengaging said lock devices from the wheel and also for imparting said partial rotations to the wheel.

4. In a railway-switch, the combination with amovabletrack-tongue, acam-wheel, mechanical connections between the wheel and tongue,

a suitable containing-case for said wheel, and a trough formed or provided on said case, of a bar projecting through the case into said trough, and means carried by said bar for coincidentl y moving the said wheel when the bar is caused to swing in one direction but be free to return independently thereof, and aspring for actuating said return of the bar.

5. In a rail\vayswitch,the combination with a tongue and a suitable casing, of a wheel provided with an elliptic-shaped groove, a lever having at one end a roller engaging in said groove and connected at its other end with said tongue, a lever fulcrumed at the axis of said wheel and carrying pawls adapted to engage with ratchet-teeth formed or provided on the wheel, a bar slidably attached to lastnamed lever and movable lengthwise thereof by the action of a roller carried by a bar and movable in a guideway provided, said roller, a spring adapted to turn last-named lever in one direction, a spring lock-bar adapted to enf gage with the wheel at each quarter of a rotation thereof, and the means carried by a car for disengaging the said lock-bar and also for engagement by another impinging device.

6. Ina 1'ailWay-switch,the combination with a track having a tongue, of a wheel provided with a cam-groove, connections between the said wheel within the cam-groove and the tongue whereby the latter is moved in and out in every one-half rotation of the wheel, automatic locking means for securing the wheel in certain predetermined positions, and means carriedby a car for disengaging said locking means and partially turning the wheel.

In testimony whereofl I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAUNCEY A. BISBEE. lVitnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, CHAs. E. ADAMs.

IOC 

